“It just came down to putting,” he added. “That was the single biggest difference between us and them that week.

“The set-up of the course was ridiculous. You could hit it anywhere."

Citing Phil Mickelson as an example, Pieters added: “He was sometimes hitting it, like, six fairways left or right but was still able to get it on the green and then make a 40-footer. I didn’t think it was a great Ryder Cup set-up, to be honest.”

Read the Pieters interview in full

To read the interview with Thomas Pieters in full, where the Belgian also
talks about Ian Poulter in the team room, what a Ryder Cup week is like and much more besides, pick up a copy of Issue 166 of bunkered. Out now!